Lynnie's Chocolate Chunk Shortbread
My friend Lynnie has played year after year with a recipe she originally found in the pages of Canadian Living magazine. She's finally got this Christmas tradition down to a very tasty science. Lynnie added the white chocolate; "I like the white chocolate addition as it caramelizes in the low and long heat." She also tells us, "If you have plenty of fridge space, you can roll the dough into balls and chill on the cookie sheets."
Ingredients:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups butter, softened
- 1 cup super fine or instant dissolving fruit sugar
- 1 cup sifted rice flour
- 6 oz. high quality semi-sweet chocolate, cut into chunks
- 3 oz. high quality white chocolate, cut into chunks
Directions:
- Spread 1 ½ cups of the flour on baking sheet; place under broiler about 5-inches away from heat source. With oven door open, roast flour, turning with spatula every minute, for about 5 to 7 minutes or until medium brown colour. Set aside and let cool to room temperature.
- In large bowl, or in the bowl of a stand mixer on medium speed, beat butter with sugar until light and fluffy. In another bowl, sift together rice flour, roasted flour and remaining raw flour. Add flours to the butter mixture and beat until well blended. Stir in the chopped chocolates, then refrigerate for 1 hour.
- After 1 hour, roll chilled dough into balls a little smaller than ping pong or golf balls. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet, about 2 inches apart; flatten slightly.
- Bake in 275 ?F pre-heated oven for 50 minutes or until lightly golden. Let cool on baking sheet or transfer to cooling rack.
- Can be stored in airtight container up to 5 days
- Makes about 72 cookies
Signe's Shortbread
This is actually my late mother's tweaked recipe for Prize Shortbread from her ancient copy of The Five Roses Cookbook. The covers are missing, and the pages that held her go-to recipes are butter and vanilla-stained. Mother waited until the cookies were cool, then she'd ice with a simple icing sugar and milk frosting, and decorate with tiny bits of red or green cherry, or my favourite, fancy silver balls!
Ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp corn starch
- 1 cup room temperature salted butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1/8 tsp fresh nutmeg
Directions:
- Pre-heat oven to 350F
- Butter should be soft but not oily-soft. In a large bowl, or bowl of a stand mixer on low, mix butter until smooth. Add sugar, nutmeg, and start adding the flour, a bit at a time, until mixture is very stiff; too stiff to work with a spoon if doing by hand.
- Lightly flour the counter, and tip the dough out, kneading until all the remaining flour has been incorporated; dough should begin to crack.
- Lightly flour a rolling pin and roll out dough about ¼ inch thick. Cut with floured cookie cutters or the rim of a glass. Place cookies on an ungreased, parchment-lined cookie sheet.
- Bake for about 10 minutes or until just beginning to turn a delicate brown.
- Makes about 3 dozen, depending on size of cutter
Traditional Scottish Shortbread
Borrowed from www.scottish-at-heart.com, this recipe is about as plain and simple as it gets. Visit the website for all sorts of fun facts about this humble cookie's ancient past and symbolism.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb (450g) sifted all-purpose flour
- 8 oz (225g) rice flour
- *pinch of salt - if using unsalted butter
- 1 lb (450g) butter*
- 8 oz (225g) superfine or fruit sugar
Directions:
- Pre-heat oven to 375F
- Mix flour, rice flour, and salt, if you're using unsalted butter, and sift these dry ingredients at least twice, preferably three times.
- Cream butter and sugar together with a wooden spoon (be warned - this takes serious 'elbow grease' but produces a better end result!). Add the sifted ingredients and mix together by hand until you have a soft dough. The shorter the time it takes to mix the ingredients, and the less 'handling' is involved, the shorter, crumblier and more delicate the texture of the shortbread will be. DON'T be tempted to 'knead' at the dough, as this will make it 'tough' - and the finished result won't be what you are hoping for.
- Form dough into a ball, and then, depending on what shape you want to make your shortbread, either:
- Press gently into a Shortbread Mold/Pan; the dough should be about ¾ inch thick. If you're using a shortbread mold, it's a good idea to dust it with icing sugar and put it in the fridge for a short while before baking.
- Or…..
- You can press the dough into a circle about 8 - 10 inches across, and about ¾ inch thick and perforate 16 'slices' with a knife-just don't cut all the way through-and place this on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
- Or…
- Simply press into a parchment-lined round springform or cake pan.
- Decorate by pinching the outer edges of the dough between thumb and forefinger; dock the dough with a fork. You may also sprinkle with crunchy large crystal sugar for fun!
- Bake for 20 minutes at 375F, then reduce heat to 350F and continue baking for another 40 minutes or until shortbread is pale golden.
- Allow to cool in pan, then remove to wire cooling rack. When thoroughly cooled these can be stored in an air-tight cookie tin or container.
- Makes about 16 cookies
Mary MacLeod's Famous Shortbread
This is a sleuthed version of Mary Macleod's secret recipe. We found it on www.epicurious.com. We've tweaked it here and there, just a wee bit.
Ingredients:
- 8 oz butter
- 3 oz icing sugar
- 1 oz white fruit or superfine sugar
- 2 oz durum wheat flour
- 12 oz cake and Pastry Flour
- 1, 3.5 oz Lindt extra creamy milk chocolate bar
Directions:
- Pre-heat oven to 250°F
- Weigh out all your ingredients into different bowls, with the butter in the main mixing bowl. Using a small hand mixer, cream the butter, icing sugar, fruit or superfine sugar, and durum wheat flour until a pale white colour. When you think it's combined, take a pinch of it in between your finger and thumb to see if the sugar and durum wheat have broken down into the butter. Clean off the mixer beaters.
- Working with your hands, gradually add the flour into the mixture. Stop adding flour if you have a soft, pliable dough. If you don't use all the flour that is OK. You will know when it is done when the dough does not stick to your hands.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead for a few minutes until workable and pliable.
- Form the dough into little balls - about the size of a golf ball, of course, since the Scots invented golf! - and place onto parchment-lined cookie sheet.
- Press them into “patties”, and with your thumb, make a wee dent. Press a square of chocolate into the dent.
- Bake for 30 minutes and then rotate the pan. Bake for another 30 minutes until light golden brown.
- Use a spatula to transfer the shortbread to a cooling rack. Once cooled, dust the tops with icing sugar for the full Mary MacLeod 'look'.
- Store in an airtight tin or wrap them up in clear cellophane as gifts for friends.
- Makes 16-20 cookies
